Careya arborea commonly known as Kumbhi Tree is a species of tree belonging to Lecythidaceae family. The plant is native to the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Indochina. It is extensively distributed in Sri Lanka, India, Peninsula and Malay up to an altitude of 1500 meters. Some of the popular common names of the plant include Kumbi, Slow match tree, Wild guava, Patana oak, ceylon oak and tummy wood. It is known as Kumbhi in Hindi. The name kumbhi seems to have originated from the Sanskrit word “kumbh” which means a water pot. As the top of this fruit has an appearance resembling somewhat like of a water pot, so this fruit has probably been named as kumbhi.

The plant is a popular herbal remedy in India, where it is often harvested from the wild for local use and trade. The tree also supplies a dye, fiber, gum, tannins and wood for local use. It is sometimes grown as a shade-providing ornamental. This plant is very important in the field of medicines and is being used for treatment of various ailments. It is also used for other purposes e.g. methanolic extract of the leaf is a good indicator in acid-base titrations , crushed bark of the root is mixed with water to stupefy fishes , stem bark is used for clothing and to produce yellow colored dye and leaves are used as green manure.

Kumbhi Tree Facts

Kumbhi Tree Quick Facts
Name:	Kumbhi Tree
Scientific Name:	Careya Arborea
Origin	Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Indochina
Colors	Green
Shapes	Large, many-seeded drupe 6.3 - 7.5 cm in diameter, globose to depressed globose, crowned by the persistent sepals
Taste	Acrid, bitter, sweet
Health benefits	Good for body pain, fever, cold, cough, leucoderma, tumors, bronchitis, digestion, anorexia, ringworm, eczema, filarial and colic

Name	Kumbhi Tree
Scientific Name	Careya Arborea
Native	Indian Subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Indochina
Common Names	Kumbi, Slow match tree, Wild guava, Patana oak, ceylon oak, tummy wood
Name in Other Languages	Assamese: Pani-bhela, Kumari, Kumbhi, Kumrega, Kum Kumari, Panibhela, Godhajam, Kuma (কুম), kumari, Kumbhi (কুম্ভী), Kumrega Bengali: Kāmbēra (কাংবের), Kumbhi, Vakamba, Kumhi, Kumbhi (কুম্ভি) Burma: ban bwe (ဘန့်ပွေး) Central Khmer: Kandaol (កណ្ដោល) Chinese: Dà hú guǒ (大壺果) English: Kumbi, Slow match tree, Wild guava, Patana oak, ceylon oak, tummy wood Garo: Dimbil bol Gujarati: Gangethi (ગંગેઠિ), Kumbhi (કુંભી), Kumbh (કુંભ), Hindi: Pilu (पीलू), Kumbhi (कूम्भी), Sthala Kumbhi, kamba, vakamba, kumbhi tree, kumbee (कुंबी) Kannada: Kavala (ಕವಳ), Daddala (ದಡ್ಡಾಲ), Gudda, Daddippe, alagavvele (ಅಲಗವ್ವೆಲೆ), daddal, koulu mara, Kavalu mara (ಕವಲು ಮರ), Kavulu (ಕವುಲು), Kaval (ಕಾವಲ್), Gonji (ಗೊಂಜಿ), Gaujal (ಗೌಜಲ್) Karbi: Koring Khasi: Ka Mahir, Soh Kundur Khmer: Kandaol (កណ្ដោល) Konkani: Kumbhiyo Malayalam: Aalam, Pezhu, Peru, pēḻ (പേഴ്) Peezh, Alasoo, Pezuntol, Peelam, Pela, Paer, Alam Malaysia: Putat-kedang Marathi: Kumbhi (कुंभी), Kumbhaa, Kumbha (कुम्भा) Munda: Asanda-daru, Kumbhi Myanmar: Sangawn-gmawt Nepali: Kumbhi (कूम्भी) Oriya: Kumbhi, Kumbh, କୁମ୍ଭି Sanskrit: Kumbhi (कूम्भी), Kumbha (कुम्भः), Katabhi (कटभि), Bhadrendrani, Girikarnika (गिरिकर्णिका), Kaidarya, Kalindi (कालिंदी) Sinhalese: Kahata Tamil: Kampi (கம்பி), Kumpi (கும்பி), Pelaimaram (பேழைமரம்), Avima (ஆவிமா), Pēḻai (பேழை), Peezhai, Aima, Karekku, Puta-tanni-maram Telugu: Kumbhū (కుమ్భూ), Kumbhi, Dudippi, araya, budatadadimma, budatanevadi, buddaburija, Govadi Thai: Kradone (กระโดน), careya; kradon; tummy Tulu: Daddaal Vietnamese: Vừng (sometimes Vừng xoan)
Plant Growth Habit	Deciduous, small to medium-sized tree
Growing Climates	Scattered but locally common in primary or secondary, evergreen or deciduous, slightly seasonal forest, sometimes in more open country and along forest edges. It is absent from perhumid rain forest
Soil	Prefers a well-drained, sandy or even rocky soil. Requires a sunny position
Plant Size	About 20 meters
Bark	10-12 mm thick, brownish, rough, exfoliates in small thin strips, more or less triangular, fibrous, blaze reddish-brown, stratified, branchlets pubescent
Leaf	Simple, alternate, estipulate, 15 – 30 cm long and 7.5 -15 cm wide, broadly obovate or oblong-ovate, apex rounded, obtuse or shortly acuminate. Margins are crenate – denticular, rather membranous, glabrous, 10 – 12 pairs of lateral leaves
Flower	Flowers are large, bisexual and handsome, in racemes or interrupted spikes, white-pink or yellowish white, 6.3 – 9 cm across, fetid, born in thick swollen hard terminal spikes each with a central elliptic bract and two linear lateral ones, showy, crowned with persistent calyx, ill smelling and sessile
Fruit Shape & Size	Large, many-seeded drupe 6.3 – 7.5 cm in diameter, globose to depressed globose, crowned by the persistent sepals
Fruit Color	Green
Fruit skin	Leathery
Seed	Exalbuminous, dark brown in colour, oval, ellipsoid, 1.5 to 2 cm long, indehiscent; testa hard and wrinkled
Taste	Acrid, bitter, sweet
Plant Parts Used	Bark, Flower, Fruit, Leaves, Seed, juice, calyx
Propagation	By Seed
Season	June
Varieties	Careya sphaerica Roxb. Careya herbacea Roxb. Careya arborea Roxb.
Culinary Uses	Ripe fruits are eaten raw and seeds are eaten roasted by the Santhals. Young fruits are used as a vegetable.
Precautions	The seeds are slightly poisonous.

Plant Description

Kumbhi Tree is a deciduous, small to medium-sized tree that normally grows up to 15 – 20 meters (49 – 65 ft.) tall. The bole can be straight when the tree is growing in good conditions, but is often stunted in poor sites. The plant is found growing scattered but locally common in primary or secondary, evergreen or deciduous, slightly seasonal forest, sometimes in more open country and along forest edges. It is absent from per humid rain forest. The plant prefers a well-drained, sandy or even rocky soil. It requires a sunny position. Bark is 10-12 mm thick, brownish, rough and exfoliates in small thin strips, more or less triangular, fibrous, blaze reddish-brown, stratified, branchlets pubescent. In colonial times in India, the fibrous bark of this tree was found to be an ideal substitute for Beech bark as matches for matchlocks. Wood is dull red to reddish brown moderately hard even grained, strong elastic, takes good polish; seasons well under water.

Leaves

leaves are simple, alternate, estipulate, 15 – 30 cm long and 7.5 -15 cm wide, broadly obovate or oblong-ovate, apex rounded, obtuse or shortly acuminate. Margins are crenate – denticular, rather membranous, glabrous, 10 – 12 pairs of lateral leaves. Petiole is 0-1.8 cm, long, stout and margined, crowded at the ends of the branches, penni-nerved, not dotted and is red when young.

Flower

Flowers are large, bisexual and handsome, in racemes or interrupted spikes, white-pink or yellowish white, 6.3 – 9 cm across, fetid, born in thick swollen hard terminal spikes each with a central elliptic bract and two linear lateral ones, showy, crowned with persistent calyx, ill smelling and sessile. Petals 4, elliptic-oblong, revolute along margin, cauducous; disc annular; stamens numerous in several rows, slightly connate at base, inserted on the top of calyx; filaments are subulate, purple, exserted, inner and outer rows without anthers; ovary is inferior, 4-5-celled, ovules many in each cell; style is long, filiform; stigma is capitate. Flowering normally takes place in between March to April when trees are without leaves.

Fruit

Fertile flowers are followed by large, many-seeded drupe 6.3 – 7.5 cm in diameter, globose to depressed globose, crowned by the persistent sepals. It has thick rind and weighs about 100 g. Outermost layer of fruit is epidermis with a waxy covering. Inside epidermis there is collenchymatous hypodermis, inside which loosely packed parenchymatous cells are present having scattered vascular bundles. Seedling with hypogeal germination; cotyledons absent (seed containing a swollen hypocotyl); shoot with scales at the first few nodes. Seeds are ex-albuminous, dark brown in color, oval, ellipsoid, 1.5 to 2 cm long and indehiscent. Testa is hard and wrinkled.

Half-cut-fruit-and-seeds-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Immature-fruits-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Bark-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Closer-view-of-flower-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Kumbhi-Tree-growing-wild

Flower-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Leaves-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Plant-illustration-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Sapling-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Sketch-of-Kumbhi-Tree

Small-Kumbhi-Tree

Trunk-of-Kumbhi-Tree

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Traditional uses of Kumbhi Tree

No	Plant Part used	Uses
1.	Whole plant	· Astringent, demulcent, antipyretic, antipruritic, in cough, cold and eruptive fevers, Smallpox · Snake bite
2.	Fruits	· Cold and cough · Digestion promoter
3.	Flowers	· Aphrodisiac · Acrid, cures ‘Kapha’, demulcent in cough and cold Tonic, Vaginal ruptures · Fever, Colic and loose motions, Cold and Cough
4.	Calyx	· Filaria
5.	Seeds	· Colic and loose motions
6.	Leaves	· Fever and swellings · Ulcers and skin diseases
7.	Twig	· Leech repellent
8.	Gum exudates	· Jaundice after delivery · Tongue ulcers
9.	Stem bark	· Constipation · Diarrhea · Skin diseases · Dysentery · In asthma, dental diseases and snake bite
10.	Stem sap	· Menorrhegic
11.	Root	· Astringent
12.	Bark	· Washing and cleaning abscesses, boils, ulcers and diarrhea Ear pain · Skin diseases · Antipyretic, antipruritic and eruptive fever · Smallpox and stomach disorders · Wound healing and body pain · Astringent and demulcent Cough and ColdAlexiteric, anthelminthic and in urinary discharges Rheumatic pain and diarrhea · Eye complaints Abortifacient · Asthma, dental diseases and snake bite · Tumors, dyspepsia, bronchitis and colic · Coarse fiber for cordage ropes, cloth sacking and saddle making